Ms. Audrey
Audrey Breckstone is Ms. Audrey *"A force of nature" on SurebleakGhost Ship, chapter 8 *Major character in I Dare and Dragon in Exile *Minor character in Ghost Ship and Necessity's Child *Secondary character in the short stories Lord of the Dance (non-canon) and Friend of a Friend *Mentioned in short stories The Rifle's First Wife, Code of Honor, Roving Gambler, and Moon on the Hills *See The Books (and other stories) Descriptions *Owns the whorehouse “Audrey’s House of Joy” on Blair Road in Surebleak *One of Boss Conrad's biggest supporters: "Blair Road coming up," Cheever McFarland said from the driver's slot. "Looks like Audrey turned out the whole turf." *Pure blue eyes, pale hair elaborately coiffed (dyed), not young *“It was an interesting face, round-cheeked and pale; the shrewd eyes a pure blue, the chin truculent, and the mouth a little hard." *To please Luken, she wears a valuable blue ring given to her by Vel Ter jo’Bern, Clan Hedrede. “This . . . is a tribute, if you will allow it, to your melant’i..." Pat Rin's First Impression Boss Conrad's first impression of Ms. AudreyI Dare, Day 308, Blair Road, Surebleak She was a sight to behold -- on first glance as out of place on the street as Pat Rin himself. Second glance found the silk to be second-grade synthetic; the jewelry light-gold set with mine-cut stones. Still, she bore herself as would a person of melant’i, come to call upon an equal. Accordingly, Pat Rin bowed. The lady considered him out of clever blue eyes, and shook her pale, elaborately coiffed head. “I won’t even try to duplicate that,” she said, and her voice was high and sweet. “Let’s just consider that I done what was polite.” Character Traits A woman of milant'i, yet shrewd and businesslike: *Pat Rin recognized her influence: "...he was certain that he needed this woman’s goodwill. Not that he would buy her -- in fact, he doubted that he could buy her -- but that he would show good faith, and a willingness to negotiate -- yes, that he must do. Equal to equal. So . . ." **He leased her his Sinner's Carpet to show trust in her honor *Luken recognized her integrity: "My dear Audrey, you are a woman of the highest milant'i, whose every action is subtle and appropriate. Milant'i is not acquired; it is built. This . . .” He put his thumb over jo’Bern’s ring. “This . . . is a tribute, if you will allow it, to your milant'i..."Dragon in Exile, chapter 35 Charming and generous: Audrey smiled. “We just call it Autumn Wine. It comes in from the country in lots of six, and I generally buy a couple dozen, if that many pass through. Some of our clients are partial, and some of the staff. We’ve got a few left from last season’s buy; I’ll be pleased to give you a bottle.” A gift of wine. Pat Rin felt absurdly pleased as he inclined his head. “Thank you, I would like that.” Compassionate and community-minded: "Jonni is known to you?” “Known-- "She looked at him, her face set in grim lines. “Look, that kid used to live here -- we taught him what he knows about reading, and he used to be pretty good at his numbers, too. Not that he cared about the reading or the sums -- but he did care about growing things, and so he learned what he needed for that."(until the day his mother got caught in a shootout at the whorehouse)I Dare, Day 309, Blair Road, Surebleak "I got a pregnant girl right now who reads like a house afire. She’d be glad of the (tutoring) work and the cash. Don’t know how she is with her numbers, but there’s Villy to do it, if she ain’t able. Patient as glass, Villy, and real good with the kids.” Motivated, progressive, a learner: The Scouts were teaching classes. She’d signed up for one, herself — Introduction to Liaden Culture. It didn’t look like anybody was offering an Introduction to Surebleak Culture . . . yet. She figured she could teach one herself, if it went too far along without anybody more qualified than the proprietor of a whorehouse stepping up. Luken and Audrey *When she was young, her fiancé got retired, leaving her enough to open a whorehouse. She wears his ring, set with a small white-stone. She's worn it for decades. Recently, she gave the ring to Luken bel'Tarda. *Audrey and Luken standing in a rare ray of sunlight together: "Together, they made a pleasant picture, there in the sunlight: she the taller; he the slighter, obviously very much at their ease with each other."Dragon in Exile, chapter 2 Legendary milant'i play: He slid the blue ring onto her finger, and bent his head to kiss the knuckle before releasing her. “There,” he said, with satisfaction. “It will be seen-- and recognized—by those who care about such things. They will speculate, and speculation will become legend. It is well.” Audrey looked at the ring, large even on her hand, and back to Grandfather. “So I have melant’i now?” Grandfather put his cup down so firmly it clicked against the table. Her House of Joy *Quin yos'Phelium called it a "jewel box" *More than a brothel, it's occasionally doubled as a school,Necessity's Child , library, clinic: **"Audrey, she grabbed what she could of Vindal's clinic and library before Moran torched them" *“Ms. Audrey was even renting out parlors to some of the larger job searchers during the day, and had cut down on the perfumes in them since Liadens preferred rooms not quite so fancy smelling.”Roving Gambler *Hosts community events occasionally.The Rifle's First Wife, in "A Liaden Universe Constellation, volume III", also published in "Cultivar: Adventures in the Liaden Universe #25" See The Rifle's First Wife Interior Decor from "I Dare" MS. AUDREY’S HOUSE quite cast the late Boss Moran’s “mansion” into the shade. Most likely, Pat Rin thought, as he followed his hostess through wide rooms and broad hallways, before embarking upon its career as a whorehouse, it had been three connected houses, and had required extensive remodeling to achieve its present state of relative sumptuousness. It was a well-occupied residence, to judge by the number of brightly dressed young people they passed on the way to the “private dining room.” The urge to understand it as a clanhouse was very nearly overmastering. The “private dining room,” achieved at last, proved to be a cozy interior chamber. A long table at the far wall supported various tureens and platters. A smaller, round, table sat on a rag rug of a kind he was coming to know well, in the center of the room. Three places were set with what appeared to be silk napkins and silver utensils. A glass at each place was filled with a faintly amber liquid. In the middle of the table sat an artful and modest bowl of flowers. Remodel from "Dragon in Exile" *Newly carpeted, with a new window and an open staircase: "the main parlor, bright and airy, and carpeted with the Queterian that had been held on deposit for years, back on Liad. Held on deposit . . . By Clan Hedrede." Her Employees *Redith (cook, baker, “Redith’s cookies”)Dragon in Exile chapter 34 *Villy (male prostitute / a "hetaera"), Quin's friend. **Sometimes teaches sums: "Patient as glass, Villy, and real good with the kids.” * Sheyn (doorman, accounts, prostitute / hetaera, etc) Necessity's Child, chapters 19, 32) *Jansy, Tansy, and Belinda (scarlet beauties /the hetaerana)I Dare and Dragon in Exile *Teddy (an older, rounder, motherly hetaera) Friend of a Friend, in Sleeping with the Enemy, Adventures in the Liaden Universe #22 *Jade (receptionist, appointment clerk and hetaera) *Patsy (native 'Bleaker, retired from The Mercs, one of the bouncers; she also stood duty on Ms. Taylor's classroom after Syl Vor yos'Galan got in a fightNecessity's Child, chapter 32) *A Surebleak Scout (see schism in The Scouts) keeps peace, translates, etc. “Someone bring me Luken bel’Tarda! Hedrede’s honor is the stake!” “Is Mr. Luken in trouble?” “I hope to prevent that,” Quin said. “Fetch one of the Scouts—” “I am with you, young sir,” a female voice came from his other side. “Is it necessary that you involve yourself?” A Curiosity *In the story Moon on the Hills, a frightened Yulie Shaper got "a big fancy sealed brown envelope" with a return emblem at the top of "Miss Audrey's Deluxe, Port City, Surebleak." It wasn't an address he recognized...Moon on the Hills **Audrey sent him a letter explaining that his brother Rollie was dead (Yulie's recalling an event that occurred a year before, nearly to the day) References Category:Characters Category:Characteristics